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Wild shoot for season sweep of Oilers

Apr 8, 2011 - 3:29 PM (Sports Network) - The Minnesota Wild will try to sweep their season series with the Edmonton Oilers for the first time in club history as the two clubs meet this evening at Rexall Place.

The Wild have outscored the Oilers, 20-8, in the five previous meetings this season after splitting the six-game set in 2009-10. Minnesota has won eight of its last 10 versus Edmonton overall, but have lost seven of its past 10 at Rexall Place.

The Wild will go for a third straight win at Edmonton tonight, but is coming off Thursday's 5-0 loss at Vancouver. It was Minnesota's third straight loss and 11th of its past 13.

Niklas Backstrom made 18 saves on 23 shots faced and was replaced by Jose Theodore in the third period. The Wild went 0-for-4 on the power play and has been outscored, 12-3, over its three-game slide.

The Wild, who wrap a three-game swing tonight, had six players in the lineup last night that have suited up for their American Hockey League club this season. Among those regulars missing the game were John Madden (foot), Cal Clutterbuck (illness), Cam Barker (back) and Martin Havlat (upper body).

Edmonton returns home tonight after Wednesday's 6-1 setback in Calgary that assured that the club will finish last in the overall NHL standings for a second season in a row.

"It's not a good feeling to finish where we have two years in a row. We feel like, despite our record this year, we have made strides and there is hope coming in the future," Sam Gagner told his team's website. "We have to find a way to turn ourselves into winners and it's not going to come easy, but I think there's definitely hope and we're all excited going into next year."

That distinction helped land the Oilers the top overall pick of the 2010 draft, which they used to select Taylor Hall. However, Hall is out for the rest of the season with a high left ankle sprain, while Edmonton is also without Ales Hemsky (shoulder), Gagner (left hand), Shawn Horcoff (left foot) and Ryan Whitney (ankle). The club also dealt forward Dustin Penner at the trade deadline.

Magnus Paajarvi had the lone goal on Wednesday for the Oilers, who were coming off a home-and-home sweep of the Canucks that snapped an 11-game slide. Nikolai Khabibulin was tagged for all six goals on 47 shots in the loss.

"There's a system of play that will protect you, there's a way to manage the puck that will protect you, there's a way to play with a certain level of discipline that will protect you, and if you do those things, it's not 6-1," said Edmonton head coach Tom Renney.

Edmonton, which has 61 points on the season, will wrap its season on Sunday at Colorado.